The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-09-07
THE PONIES OF CEINCOTEAGUE
Some Facts About the Virginia Mays
- Not a. the Annual Penning.
q Philadelphia Times Lette

81 From q Philadelphia Times Letter.
"Here's the pony, gentlemen. Thar ain t
no finer traveller on the island. Whoa, thar?
durn yen
The speaker, tall, angular chap with
unkempt hair, a cardinal shit, blue over
alls and barefooted, a typical specimen of
the native was holding by the long name
a FESTIVE, diminutive pony, the raising and
penning of which has, within the last
decade, made the island of Chincoteague,
Va, in connection with its great oyster
deposits, famous throughout the country
And while he was vociferously expati-
ating upon the speeding qualities of his
char ge the crowd was constantly augment
ing in size--a curious, heterogeneous con-
gregation Of people, who came in boats from
the Virginia shore and in the cars from the
back counties of Maryland. This year.
however, the attendance has not been con-
fined exclusively to residence of the imne-
date neighborhood, but Philadelphia, New
York, Baltimore and Washington have con-
tributed largely to swell the crowds from
the rural districts. CONSPICUOUS among this
great audience are the colored people, who
regard the event as a holiday, and are
always present in full force
These pennings take place annually in
August, and for weeks great preparations
are made by the people to attend them The
avant courier is the corpulent colored
woman with her toothsome squares of old
fashioned gingerbread and spruce beer. The
rapid development of internal improve
ments and the inexo "a le march of D o grt J.
sive intelligence have somewhat shorn
these pennings of their antique and novel
features, but there is still much left to
make them profoundly interesting and
highly amusing to the Northern specula-
tor.
1t is almost impossible to learn anything
definite as to the origin of the Chincoteague
pony. The oldest inhabitant cannot give a
correct or intelligent version of whence it
came. They all have their theories, some of
them plausible enough in their way, but
there is lack of authenticity in these mar
ratives that leave impressions OF a dubious
character. A great many claim that they
are an offspring of the Shetland Isles, and
must have found their way to Chiflcoteag1Ie
from a large steamer that was wrecked on
the island before it was inhabited Certain
it is, at one time they roamed the island in
vast numbers, but when the great storm of
forty years ago devastated the country and
almost submerged Chincoteague it came
near annihilating them.
In size the Chincoteague pony approx
mates that of the Shetland. The hair on
their bodies il thick and shaggy, and their
names and tails are long and glossy. They
are strong hardy little fellows, roaming wild
on the extreme southern end Of the island,
feeding on the hay and the tender roots
which grow in luxurious abundance in the
salt marshes bordering on the Bay and the
Atlantic Ocean. When they are brought
in they are divided off into what is known
in the vernacular as herds, and each herd
has its own peculiar mark or brand to dis
tinguish it from the other and thus obviate
the difficulty of dispute as to identity and
ownership when corralled for branding
These branding irons are made according
to the notions of the owner, representing
the initials, stars, spear-heads crosses, ETC.,
and are easily distinguished.